James Harden

While Harden’s 2015-16 campaign was generally considered a disappointment, his counting stats actually improved nearly across the board. Harden upped his scoring from 27.4 points per game to 29.0, while also notching career-best rebound (6.1) and assist (7.5) averages. His s...

Most of the time, if a player averages less minutes, he doesn't post career highs. That was not the case for the MVP runner-up last season. Harden averaged 27.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.9 steals, and 0.7 blocks in 37 minutes through 81 games played. All of the aforementioned stats besides GP and MPG were career highs. Adding to his season is that these were all done with extreme efficiency as Harden shot 44 percent from the field, 38 percent from beyond the arc, and 87 percent from the stripe. Squashing any of the criticism that was thrown his way, Harden dramatically improved on defense this past season, and gone are the 20-minute video montages of him zoning out on defense. The Beard easily had one of his best seasons, and he did so even though a lot of his supporting cast (Dwight Howard, Patrick Beverley, and Terrence Jones) were not available most of the season due to injury. Also, the Rockets went out and acquired Ty Lawson in a trade from the Nuggets this summer. Lawson looks to add something that the Rockets haven't really had in being a true point guard with the ability to score. Whether or not this will help or hurt Harden remains to be seen, and there probably will be a few growing pains at the beginning of the season. That being said, Harden still is one of the best and most efficient players in the NBA being able to score from anywhere on the court.

2014-15

During the 2013-14 season, James Harden was able to reward the fantasy owners who drafted him and posted impressive numbers in his second season with the Rockets. He finished the year averaging 25.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.6 steals, and 2.4 three-pointers made, while playing 38 minutes per game. Although the loss of Chandler Parsons in free agency initially felt like it might sting a bit, the Rockets bounced back with the signing of Trevor Ariza, so the starting lineup didn't take as big of a hit as originally thought, and the team will still have a decent shooter to open the lane for Harden to drive to the hoop. Harden also continued his consistent shooting last season by slightly improving his field goal percentage from 44 percent in the 2012-13 season, to 46 percent last season. While his field goal percentage increased, it stayed the same from behind the arc, as he shot 37 percent from deep for the second season in a row. Look for Harden to continue to get plenty of shots up again this season, and post scoring averages in the mid to upper 20's, as most of the roster is pretty similar to last year, and the Rockets will be in the playoff hunt once again. While it seems strange to say, Harden could carry an even larger load on offense this season with Jeremy Lin having been traded to the Lakers this offseason.

2013-14

After failing to sign Harden to a long-term extension last offseason, the Thunder dealt him to the Rockets just days before the start of the regular season, sending ripples across the league. Freed from the shackles of the sixth man role, Harden showed right away why the Rockets chose to build their franchise around him, scoring 82 points over his first two games with the team and finishing with season averages of 25.9 points, 5.8 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 2.3 three-pointers per game. With the Rockets' point guard situation somewhat in flux following a disappointing season by Jeremy Lin, Harden figures to assume ball-handling duties more regularly than most shooting guards. Carrying those responsibilities in the fast-paced Rockets offense will continue to make Harden highly susceptible to turnovers (his 3.8 per game led the league last season), but he should only further bolster his assist totals moving forward, especially now that he's able to dump the ball off to the newly-signed Dwight Howard in the post. Although Howard's presence in the low block may cause congestion issues when his teammates attempt to drive the lane, Harden has proven to be an equally formidable weapon from both mid- and long-range and should make the necessary adjustments to accommodate Howard's game. Even if the arrival of Howard forces Harden to sacrifice some scoring volume, the 24-year-old still has room for growth in his shooting efficiency and as a distributor. He's clearly the top fantasy option at his position across nearly every format.

2012-13

Harden raised his game in 2011-12, achieving career-highs in points, rebounds, assists, and all three shooting percentages. Deservingly so, the accolades began to pile up for Harden, as he took home the Sixth Man of the Year Award, helped lead the Thunder to the NBA Finals, and perhaps most impressively, earned a roster spot on Team USA for the London Olympics. Hardenï¿½s talent is unquestioned, but from a fantasy perspective, there remains concern about just how high his ceiling can be as the Thunderï¿½s third scoring option behind Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Durant and Westbrook both attempted a shade under 20 shots per game last season, leaving Harden to settle for about 10 on most nights. Although Harden could still see a small bump upward in minutes (he averaged 31.4 last season) to help him boost his stat line, itï¿½s hard to imagine him ever becoming a 20-point per game scorer with the Thunder unless an injury to Durant or Westbrook occurs. The real coming out party for Harden might be next year. Heï¿½ll be a restricted free agent after the season, and with significant long-term money tied up in Durant, Westbrook, and Serge Ibaka, the Thunder may not have enough cash to keep Harden on board. If Harden were to land on another team as the franchise player or even as the second banana, heï¿½d surely rocket up his value in 2013-14.

2011-12

After showing great promise as a rookie, Harden enjoyed an increased role off the bench with the Thunder in his sophomore season. Going into this year, Harden is widely believed to have the starting shooting guard job in his pocket, thanks to his inspired play in the postseason – 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.4 three-pointers, 1.2 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 1.6 turnovers in 32 minutes per game. It’s difficult to get too excited about Harden’s potential growth, however, with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook requiring so many looks, but the departure of Jeff Green in a trade to the Celtics opened up some possessions for him. At a minimum, Harden should offer well-rounded production with a healthy heaping of three-pointers.

2010-11

Because he averaged only 22.9 minutes per game last season, to understand Harden's production, it's necessary to adjust for the time he didn't spend on the court. With last year's playing time, Harden was an end-of-the-roster type player. But project him at something like 30 or 32 minutes, and Harden becomes a borderline starter in standard-format leagues. No, his scoring wasn't anything special – and with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook only improving, it might not become anything special – but his three-pointers (1.2 made per game), steals (1.1), and his free-throw shooting (80.8% on 3.2 attempts per game) all project as pretty decent. Of course, there's the question of whether Harden will actually play 30-32 minutes anytime soon. Thabo Sefolosha remains with the team and is also a threat for something like 25-30 minutes per contest thanks to his defensive skills.

2009-10

The Thunder decided to pass on European wunderkind Ricky Rubio with the third overall pick in the draft in favor of Harden to address their perimeter shooting deficiency. Last year at Arizona State, Harden averaged 20.1 points, 4.2 assists, 1.7 treys and 1.7 steals on 48.9-percent shooting from the field. Although he ‘s one of the most NBA-ready prospects in this draft class, Harden still has some holes in his game that he needs to work on – namely the ability to create his own shot, his handles and his midrange shooting. Though highly touted and obviously skilled, he will not be guaranteed a spot in the starting lineup this season. As a matter of fact, he will probably be coming off the bench to start the year behind Thabo Sefolosha. Coach Scott Brooks will likely look for Sefolosha to set the early tone and bolster the team’s defense, then utilize Harden as an offensive spark off the bench who can spread the floor. It’s unlikely Harden will log much more than 22-26 minutes during the first half of the season, so be a bit conservative in setting expectations for him early on. He’ll be the player you want to pick up 40 or 50 games in after an impatient owner drops him, not one that you spend one of your first 10 draft picks on.